Tea partiers try to dress 'Emperor'

S ome of you might be familiar with "The Emperor's New Clothes," a tale about two rip-off artists who made fools of an emperor and the adults in his kingdom.

The swindlers, presenting themselves as weavers, convinced the emperor that they could make him a suit of clothes that would be visible only to those who were smart, competent and deserving of their positions.

After partying for a number of days, the weavers delivered an imaginary suit of clothes and pretended to dress the emperor. Afraid of seeming unfit for office, the emperor walked about naked. His subjects, also afraid of being labeled stupid, acted as if he was wearing clothes.

We are currently experiencing a reality version of that story, but with a slight twist. The tea party contingent in the Congress is playing the role of the swindling weavers. Their ruse is to convince the American people that President Obama is not deserving or qualified for the presidency.

Americans who do not see the president as being unqualified for office are not true-blooded Americans, they will tell you.

Enough Americans saw through that swindle to make Mr. Obama a two-term president, but the persistence of the swindlers in blocking the president's agenda has taken a toll. The current Congress is on track to become the least productive in the history of the country.

Finally, understanding the zero net gain in trying to work with the swindlers, the president on Wednesday took to the airwaves in an attempt to strip away the veil of deception being weaved by the other side.

The president spoke about the gradual unraveling of the country's social compact, beginning in the late 1970s, as automation and overseas outsourcing of jobs took a toll on American workers and their families, leading many to load up on debt.

Americans, the president noted, are working twice as hard as they were in 1979, but the income of the typical family has risen less than 8 percent over that period. Since 1979, the economy has more than doubled, but the growth has been enjoyed by "a fortunate few," the president said. While in 1979, the top 10 percent were taking in a third of the country's income, today they are taking half.

"Whereas in the past, the average CEO made about 20 to 30 times the income of the average worker, today's CEO now makes 273 times more.… Meanwhile, a family in the top 1 percent has a net worth 288 times higher than the typical family, which is a record for this country."

The growing inequality in the country means that a child born in the top 20 percent has about a 2 in 3 chance of staying at or near the top, while a child born in the bottom 20 percent has a less than 1 in 20 shot at making it to the top, the president said.

"It is harder today for a child born here in America to improve her station in life than it is for children of most of our wealthy allies," the president said.

And while minorities continue to suffer the most, the growing inequality in the country is more about class than it is race, according to the president.

If Republicans have alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, to raising the minimum wage, "concrete plans that will actually reduce inequality, build the middle class and provide moral ladders of opportunity to the poor, let's hear them," the president said.

Of course, outside of getting rid of the president and his polices, the other side has posited no concrete ideas for arresting the country's rising and democracy-threatening inequality.

The tea party swindlers, unfortunately, have blinded too many people to this reality.